


Good Fortunes

by Kivea



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Comedy, Divination, Hogwarts, Humor, Humour, M/M, Quidditch, Romance, Teen Romance, bantz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-03-02 18:01:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18816136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kivea/pseuds/Kivea
Summary: Kyle took Divination out of some weird, misplaced sense of pride. Craig took it because he thought it would be easy. Neither of them quite expect how much they'd both hate it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2! AU 
> 
> I swapped this really earlier cause the cryle server has been talking about Hogwarts AUs and I was INSPIRED

He glared down at the cup, tea dredges staring back at him in the shape of what could  _only_ be interpreted as a blob, no matter what the boy opposite him said. The book was open on the table next to them, paragraphs upon paragraphs of what each image and interpretation of the tea leafs could mean.  

It was all  _bollocks._ Complete, and utter,  _bollocks_.  

He felt a need to express this.  

“It’s all bollocks,” he declared as he slumped back in his seat and flailed his arms at the cups on the table. “It doesn’t even look like anything!”  

“You’re just upset that mine are good and yours are bad,” drawled the nasally voice across the table. “Salty fuck.”  

“Eat shit, Tucker.”  

The smirk on the boy’s face grew wider at that.  

Kyle glanced round to see how the rest of his classmates were getting on. Kenny was sat the next table over with Bebe, the two of them making goo-goo eyes at each other instead of reading anything from the book.  

He sighed and turned back to his own table. He hated this class.  

Cartman had been the one to goad him into it. He had turned his nose up at Kenny’s choice, and Cartman had latched onto it like he did with everything Kyle-related and challenged him to it. Questioned his intelligence, his capabilities. Implied that Kyle was biased and looking down on Kenny for his choice. Kyle really should’ve known better, by this point, than to rise to Cartman’s barbs.  

From what he gathered, Craig had taken the class because he was looking for something easy to fill his schedule. It didn’t seem to be particularly easy, given how  _awful_ both of them were at it.  

Initially they had been paired up with Bebe and Kenny, but it wasn’t long before the pair showed more interest in each other than two people who didn’t even want to be there. Kyle couldn’t say he exactly blamed Kenny for it, it couldn’t have been easy to try and work with Kyle who was shooting it down at every corner (and failing at every turn).  

“You could’ve at least pretended it was something good,” Kyle mumbled as he looked down into the cup. “Instead of telling me I was going to suffer a grave fall and end up in the Medical Wing.”  

“Alright then, pass it here,” Craig reached across the table, grasping the cup and shaking it around a little. “Let’s just play with fate, shall we?”  

“You can’t do that!” Kyle grasped across to try get the cup, but Craig just leant back in his chair. “Stop it, you’ll get us in trouble!”  

“It’s fine, like you said, it’s all bullshit anyway,” the pale, grey eyes narrowed as he peered into the cup. “Alright, it looks like my prediction for you…is that you’ll have a grave fall, but miraculously be saved!”  

“Shove off, Craig.”  

“It’s true, look, see, there’s like a little – uh – heart in there now, you’re going to be saved by a wizard in radiant robes. It’ll be all romantic and shit.”  

Kyle took the chance to snatch the cup and held it close to his chest. “You better not orchestrate some kind of fall now, just to prove a point.”  

Craig held his hands up and slouched down in his chair. “I would never. Sounds like too much work.”  

“And we all know how you feel about work.”  

They glanced up as the Professor gathered the attention of the class, Kyle dropping the cup on the table. It caused enough of a noise that her eyes snapped to them, smile wobbling for a moment as she looked at the ‘struggling table’, as she’d called them before. Kyle felt a flush rise to his cheeks as he heard Craig snigger across the table.  

The class wrapped up with the homework to write 30 inches of parchment on the accuracy of their partner’s prediction and what they’d learnt from the experience, and they were excused for the day, shuffling out with some speed at the thought of  _lunch_ being that much closer. Craig shuffled out behind him as Kenny and Bebe continued to chatter in front of them on the stairs.  

He felt Craig’s elbow in his back and stumbled as he began to fall. Kenny acted fast once he felt Kyle’s hands on his back, stopping and holding his ground as he turned and made sure Kyle was alright before they continued.  

“See, I’m a genius. Prediction correct.”  

Kyle turned with a glare. “That wasn’t a  _grave fall_ , asshole.”  

Craig rolled his eyes and said nothing more.  

\-- 

The weather was horrendous. The match was nearly cancelled because of it, but it took a lot to convince the students not to play Quidditch. Kyle was glaring at the sky as he waited for it to start, wrapped in his colours of red and gold. He wished it would just  _stop_ already.  

Across the field the Slytherin team was set up and ready to go. Kyle self-consciously tugged at his hair, repositioning the comb hairband that Wendy had got him to help keep his hair out his face when playing. It was especially useful on days like this.  

They started the game and it continued like any normal one. He was one of the chasers, zipping back and forth with a Quaffle in his arms as he dodged Bludgers. They did well, and Slytherin always put up a good fight, but he prided himself on his skills. Even at home when he was a kid he enjoyed sports, playing basket ball with his father. Changing to a Wizard game had been just as fun, if not more.  

As the game dragged on and people grew tired there was a low hum that settled around the stadium. The weather wasn’t making it easy for the seekers to find the snitch. It was beginning to drag. It was probably what made him so prone to making such a big mistake.  

Someone shouted out his name just a moment too late. He spun round, which probably saved him from a broken face as the Bludger came at him full force. Instead the front of his broom took the brunt of the damage, splitting through the wood with a loud  _CRACK_ and causing him to go spinning towards the stands. He reacted too slowly, grasping the wood too late as the wet gloves slipped and the broom pulled free from his grasp.  

He began to slow down, but didn’t stop. He heard one of the older students close by and saw them with their wand out –  _Kevin McCormick_ – one of the Slytherin Prefects. He scrunched his eyes shut as he braced himself for impact.  

The impact was surprisingly soft.  

There was a grunt behind him as someone caught him, falling back into their seat as they did so. He panicked and tried to wriggle around despite the arms that were holding his back and his legs.  

His words caught in his throat as he saw who had caught him.  

Pale grey eyes looked down at him and thick dark eyebrows were pulled together as he searched Kyle’s face for any immediate damage or signs. Kyle wasn’t quite sure what he was looking for. His face hadn’t been touched. He was more concerned with the warmth that was wrapped around him and the wetness that was probably soaking from his Quidditch robes into the other boy’s uniform.  

“Are you alright?”  

“Yeah, I’m alright.”  

“Thank you for catching him, Craig,” Kevin McCormick’s scratchy voice broke them both out their revere, two sets of eyes snapping to the Prefect who looked like he was holding back a smirk. “Like a wizard in radiant robes.”  

 _That_  kick-started Craig’s brain.  

The Slytherin boy dropped Kyle rather unceremoniously to the ground, all but pushing him out his lap. Kyle gave an  _off_ as he stumbled but managed to save himself from landing totally on his ass. It helped that Kevin had reached out and grabbed his arm to keep him steady.  

“C’mon, let’s get you checked over in the Medical Wing. I want to make sure it really was just your  broom that was shattered, not any of you.”  

“My – my broom,” Kyle’s head spun round. “Where-?!”  

“I’ll get it.”  

The redhead snapped to his saviour, who was still sat down slouching further into the stands. “What?”  

“I’ll bring it to the Medical Wing. What’s left of it, anyway.”  

Kevin’s grip on Kyle’s arm tightened. “You sure you didn’t bang your head?”  

“No, I’m fine, that’s – let’s go,” Kyle agreed as he pushed down a flush of embarrassment. He didn’t dare open his mouth to say anything else as Kevin lead him away from the stands and towards the stairs down to the grounds. He spared a moment to glance behind him where Craig had stood and headed to the front of the stands, maybe to collect his broom.  

 _A wizard in radiant robes._  

 _It’ll be all romantic and shit._  

He snapped his head back to Kevin and attempted to hide his blush behind the taller boy. Red hair, red robes. Last thing he needed was a red face.  

The trip to the Medical Wing only served to confirm that no, he didn’t have any injuries, and between Kevin and Craig they spared him any damage from the fall. There was the usual disapproving muttering about allowing them to play in the rain as he was left on his own to rest up after the shock of being hit. Kevin had left as soon as he’d dropped Kyle off to go attend things that were probably more pressing than standing by his bedside and doting on him. He wasn’t sure if he was glad. It just left him alone with his own thoughts.  

Which kept going back to the Divination room, fighting to get his teacup back from Craig as the dark haired boy adjusted his predictions to be ‘good’.  

“Hey, you in there?”  

He jumped out his skin at the quiet voice of one of his best friends.  

“Merlin, Kenny, don’t sneak up on me!”  

“I didn’t. You’re just kind of lost in thought.”  

“What do you want?”  

The blonde reached forward and placed on the bed a black bag that spanned wide. Kyle felt a bit of shame that he hadn’t even noticed it.  

“The remnants of your broom,” Kenny explained. “Sorry it got trashed, dude.”  

Kyle pushed himself up properly as he opened the bag to peer inside. It was just the front that was broken, but the wood was splintered in all directions. Not as salvageable as he hoped, maybe.  

“Craig gathered it, but he asked me to come deliver it.”  

“Oh,” Kyle nodded as he shut the bag again as slowly as he possibly could. “I’ll have to thank him later.”  

“Yeah, said he had better things to do. Wouldn’t tell me what, though.”  

“Kenny,” Kyle scolded as he looked up at the false-innocence on the blonde’s face. “Drop it.”  

“What? I haven’t even asked anything!”  

“No, but I know you well enough. I’ll thank him later. End of.”  

“You’re no fun,” Kenny huffed out as he made space on the medical bed for himself.  

They spoke for some time, until they were kicked out for being too loud and Kyle was deemed fully recovered ‘if he can make that much racket’. They then wandered the hall for a while, the bag of the broken broom in Kyle’s arms as they did so.  

The next day found him in the library with Stan, Kenny, and Cartman, scribbling away as they desperately tried to finish all their homework before classes started back up. Cartman was squabbling with Stan about one of their electives, Care of Magical Creatures, as Kenny watched on and laughed when one of them said something particularly scathing.  

Kyle glanced back down at his parchment, the prediction that Craig had given him staring back at him. The library was just too hot that day.  

“You alright?” Stan kicked him under the table. “It’s not gonna write itself.”  

“I wish it would.”  

“What did your tea dregs say?” Kenny asked as he peered over Kyle’s arm to look at the parchment. “Is that what you’re thinking of?”  

“Just that I’d fall and end up in the Medical Wing. I guess he wasn’t wrong, this time.”  

“Are you being pissy because you were wrong about his?” Cartman sneered.  

“Fuck off.”  

They settled back into their work and there was only really one flaw that Kyle could pick at, which he was sure to write out of spite for the whole situation.  

 _It wasn’t very romantic._  

 _\--_  

It wouldn’t be till the next lesson, when they sat down and were forced to compare notes, that the two of them were also forced to talk about it.  

Craig scowled at the paper snatching it away from Kyle as he protested the accusation.  

“It was super romantic!”  

Kyle scoffed. “I was smelly and wet, and you dropped me on the floor.”  

“Whatever. I was still more accurate than you were.”  

They spent the rest of the class listening to their Professor drone on and on about nothing that they were really paying attention to, considering Craig was busy doodling on his note book and Kyle was watching in disgust as his best friend at the table in front of them flirted away with Bebe in a way that made him think there was a reason Kenny took this class that wasn’t just because he wanted to learn Divination.  

By the time the class was over they mutually decided to drop it and swap over to Arithmancy before it was too late to change.  


	2. Chapter 2

“So this is a fortune cookie?” 

Craig nodded as he picked one up out the bag he’d brought them in. “Yeah, this is it. You just crack them open and your fortune is inside.”

“I don’t understand,” Kyle muttered as he inspected the bizarre shape , turning it round in his hands and trying to spot where this ‘fortune inside’ was supposed to sit. And what it was supposed to be . “How do muggles predict futures?” 

“They don’t. It’s just this dumb thing they do, it’s not – like, they’re all pretty generic, so they’re applicable to most things that happen. It’s open to interpretation.” 

Kyle scoffed and put it back.  “Sounds as useful as Divination was.”

“Kenny seems to have that down to a fine art.” 

“Kenny’s just lucky.” 

It had been Wendy who got him curious about them. She took Muggle Studies and was sure to give him and Stan recaps of various things she found interesting.  This was one of them. She even tried to make some herself. It was how they discovered  that just because someone was competent in potions didn’t mean they could cook like a muggle. 

Craig had g ot his mother to send him them from their local Chinese.  He cracked it open, withdrawing a  strip of paper from inside. “Look, ‘success lies in the hands of those who want it’.” 

“What does that even mean?” 

“It’s just an inspirational quote. It doesn’t really mean anything.” 

Kyle narrowed his eyes as he studied them closer. He looked up as Craig began munching on the treat, loud crunches that weren’t even drowned out by the gossiping students that hung about the courtyard. He picked up  the  cookie  he had refused  and snapped it open, pulling out his own fortune. 

“’Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point’.” 

“How Gryffindor.”

Kyle felt a rush of pride at the compliment, even if Craig said it with his usual sarcastic drawl that meant he didn’t mean it as a compliment. “Thank you. I think I get it. They’re more to guide people than anything?” 

“Some of them.  It depends who writes it, I guess. My sister likes to write them. She puts predictions and fortunes in, she just keeps them vague.” 

Kyle gave the cookie a sniff before he ate it slowly. It didn’t smell  of anything, but when he bit into it and began crunching away it was actually kind of moreish. 

“They’re not that bad,” he commented as he peered into the bag to spy another. 

“You can, I don’t mind. I got them  cause  you wanted to try them.” 

Kyle ignored the way his heart fluttered at the suggestion that Craig ever did anything specifically for him. The same way he always ignored it when his heart responded to things that Craig Tucker did in his general vicinity. 

He picked out another, cracking it open and only reading the fortune once half the cookie was in his mouth. He could hear his mother’s voice in the back of his head telling him off for  speaking with  food in his mouth. He’d stopped caring about  things his mother said  a couple of years ago. 

“’Love is on the horizon. The stars predict he will be tall, dark, and – a centaur’.”

He looked up with a deadpan expression. Craig’s  poker face  wavered. 

“Really?”

“I m ay have asked my sister to make a couple.” 

“Fucking dick.”

Craig turned back to playing with the paper, stopping Kyle from seeing the lopsided smile that was on his face. Kyle knew it was there, because Craig always tried to hide it when he smiled like that.  It was a shame. It was kind of cute. 

He opened his mouth to speak, to try  get  Craig to look up,  when the sound of the bells for class to r esume rang through the hallway and students began to scatter from where they were. He felt a sigh of disappointment escape his lips before he could stop it. 

“ Time to face the music.”

“What?” 

Craig shrugged.  “Muggle phrase. What you got next?” 

“Ancient Runes. You?”

“Astronomy.  Have fun.” 

They parted ways, and Kyle stuffed his fortunes into his pockets. 

\--

He was slacking off, but in the most unproductive kind of way. He was nestled into an alcove,  reading one of his favourite books he’d brought from home, pretending the rest of the world didn’t exist.  Their OWLs may have been that year, but it wasn’t like they were right around the corner just yet. He had time. 

At least he kept telling himself he did. 

He heard the crash and bang before he heard the hushed voices squabbling at each other. He startled into a sitting position and ducked his head round to find out what the cause was at the same time that the two in question began striding down the corridor. Kyle’s breath caught in his throat at what he saw. 

He’d never seen the appeal of centaurs in the same way some of the others in his class did. He’d had it explained to him: big, strong, standoffish, living and breathing nature. They seemed to appeal to muggles and half-bloods that grew up in cities and around technology. But he began to appreciate the thoughts behind it when he saw tall, dark, centaur approach, silky black fur that faded into naturally tanned skin  and a bared chest. 

All he could think of was the note in the fortune cookie. His brain came to an abrupt halt when he  caught the face. 

Last time he checked Craig Tucker wasn’t part horse. 

Any illusion of grace was quickly squandered once he saw the ugly expression on the handsome face. His nose was scrunched up, arms hovering out to keep  himself  steady as he concentrated on the ground.  Kyle found himself standing as he leant  against the wall of the alcove as he watched the man attempt to walk on four legs. 

“You’d think extra legs would help you walk, not make it worse.” 

His voice caught the other boy by surprise,  who  looked up with wide eyes. The distraction was enough to throw him as he caught a hoof on the floor below and stumbled forward, arms flailing for something to grip on to. 

Kyle stepped forward and reached out to stop the train wreck happening. He caught both hands in his own and received a fierce glare for his troubles. 

“Speak of this to no one.” 

“ I’m  gonna  tell  Bebe .” 

“You are  _ not _ .” 

The question bubbled over and he asked: “Did you plan this?” 

Craig’s brow furrowed at that. “Plan what?” 

He swallowed his embarrassment and shook his head. “Nothing, it doesn’t matter.” 

“What doesn’t matter?” 

“Tall, dark, a-!”

“Thank you!” 

The pair turned to see the blonde that Craig had been with , looking as put together as ever with an extra school shirt wrapped around his waist and Slytherin robes in his arms . Wide hazel eyes looked up at Kyle with a shaky smile that never seemed to reach his eyes. Kyle attempted to pull his hands back from Craig’s, who was happy to oblige. It was weird to be having this moment with the dark haired boy when  _ Tweek _ __ was there. 

Because he’d heard the rumours.  Who hadn’t heard the rumours?  The rumours of Craig and  Tweek ,  Tweek  and Craig.  Everyone had heard the rumours. 

“No problem. What are you two even doing?” 

Tweek  tugged at the wild locks on his head. “The theatre  club , we’re making this outfit that’s meant to like, turn the person wearing it into a centaur but it’s really hard to walk in and they asked me to try fix it but it’s so  _ difficult _ , man, like seriously what am I meant to do with this?! This mess!” 

“ I was asked to help,” Craig supplied. “He doesn’t want to put it on himself.” 

Kyle cleared his throat and took a step back, taking in the full appearance of Craig in a professional, studious manner. “Well, what does it feel like?” 

“It feels like I’m Bambi.” 

Kyle cocked a brow.  Tweek  rolled his eyes as he hissed at Craig. “Stop it with your muggle references!” 

“He’s a deer, in a movie. He can’t walk properly at the beginning.” 

“Why can’t he walk properly?” 

“He’s just been born.” 

Kyle gave an exasperated smile. “You mean it’s like you’re trying to relearn how to walk.” 

“Yeah.”

“That sounds normal to me,” Kyle turned to  Tweek . “I don’t think you’ve got too much to worry about. It’ll be a matter of learning to walk in the costume  rather than fixing anything about it.” 

Tweek  gnawed down on his bottom lip. “They’re all so  lazy,  they want to just put it on and to be able to walk in it.” 

“If you figure out the best way to learn how to walk, you can then teach them. That way they don’t have to figure it out themselves.” 

“Alright.  Alright, yeah, that’s a good idea,”  Tweek  looked up to Craig with pursed lips. “We’re going to teach you how to walk.” 

“Great. That’s how I wanted to spend my afternoon.” 

Kyle gave an awkward wave and began to duck back into his alcove. “Well, I’ll let you guys…get on with that, I guess.” 

“No!” 

He startled as  Tweek  reached out and gripped his arm. “What?” 

“ You have to help! Teach him how to walk!” 

“Uh, why?”

“I can’t do it on my own, I’ll kill him!” 

Kyle glanced up at Craig, who shrugged. 

“He’s insufferable to work with.” 

“ Tweek  just cares too much.” 

Which was how Kyle ended up in the halls of the towers, him and  Tweek  each holding one of Craig’s hand s , attempting to keep him steady as he tried to learn how to walk with the centaur’s body. It took a while; long enough that it had begun to get dark and dinner would be fast approaching. 

By the time Kyle was sat on the ground watching Craig stomp about, the  Slytherin  had pretty much got the hang of it. 

He gave a smug smile as he trotted around the hall. “Told you it’d be fine,  Tweek .” 

“Yes, yes, whatever. We need to get going for  tea . I don’t  wanna  keep Kyle too long.” 

“It’s fine, I’ve had fun.” 

Tweek  give a bright smile. It was sweet, he was a sweet kid. Kyle could see the appeal. 

Tweek  instructed him to stand in front of Craig while he waved his wand and began to separate him from the suit. The seamless edge between Craig’s skin and the fur of the horse began to unstitch with a beam of light, opening up to reveal Craig’s trouser covered legs standing on two blocks. He stepped forward, stumbling a bit as he hit the ground and had to go back to walking like normal. 

Kyle reached out to stead him, as he had done before to steady him as a centaur. Without the height difference to separate them Craig’s face ended up closer, their hands around each other’s elbows , Kyle’s covered with his robes and Craig’s still bare. 

“You alright?”

“Yeah,” Craig breathed out.  “Just a bit weird.”

Kyle chuckled at that. “I bet.” 

Tweek  interrupted them again, his usual  not-quite-there  smile on his face as he wrapped up the fabric outfit that looked a lot less realistic when it was being worn and the charms were dormant. “Thanks for your help.” 

“Anytime, I’m  gonna  grab my things. I’ll see you guys later.” 

“Sure!” 

He watched as the pair turned and began to walk down the halls to head for dinner, elbows bumping as they chattered between themselves  and Tweek fumbled around to give Craig his robes and shirt back . He was quick to turn and head back to the alcove where his book was. He wasn’t sure if he’d not rather stay there and read than go down to the Great Hall. He needed something to take his mind off the fortune cookies and the prediction they made, at least. 

He missed Craig glancing over his shoulder to watch Kyle scamper away. 

\--

The next time he was at Stan's house, hanging out with Kenny and Cartman as they had done for years, he insisted they ordered Chinese food. Cartman threw a fit at first, refusing to eat anything so muggle, but Stan and Kenny were on his side, happy to indulge. When it arrived and they started eating it Cartman was quick to shut up and devour the food as he often did when they were eating. It was one of the few moments where Cartman regarded him with some respect. If there was one way to get Cartman to agree it was with food. 

Kyle kept the fortune from the Chinese restaurant they'd gone to and put it with the others he had from Craig's cookies. He didn't keep them for long, it was ultimately tat and when his mother had him tidy his room and started lecturing him on hording like the Marsh's he shivered at the thought and give in pretty quick. Besides, the words were burned into his brain enough. 


	3. Chapter 3

The end of sixth year was the worst  it would get for Kyle . 

Well, that was a dramatization. Seventh year was probably going to be the worst. But right now it felt like this was the worst, the worst it could  _ ever get _ , because at least in seventh year it’d be over.  Right now?  He knew he had another year left of this shit. 

He slumped into his chair opposite Wendy,  who’s  fingers were pressed around her hairline, elbows on the table, wide eyes looking down at the  book  in front of her. She looked a little frazzled. He wasn’t surprised. 

“You alright?”

“I’m going to die,” she filled in a monotone voice. “I’m going to die here and there’s nothing either of us can do about it.” 

“So long as you kill me before you do. I don’t think I can do this without you.” 

She gave a humourless laugh and dropped her hands, looking up at him with a smile. “I think I need a break.  I think we both need a break. I’m  gonna  go get some air. Do you want to join me?” 

“Nah, I’m  gonna  fini sh this paragraph, then I will.” 

“Alright.  You better take a breather though! I won’t be best impressed if you’re still here when I get back.” 

He let her leave and returned to his book. His concentration didn’t last for long until someone was in her seat, staring across the table at him. 

He looked up and raised a brow  as a smile began to spread across his face . “Can I help you, Tucker?” 

The Slytherin clucked his tongue and took his sweet time to respond. It was a habit he’d  picked up  over the past year. “I was hoping  I  could help  you .” 

“If this is about you reading my  future, I’ll pass. Kenny’s already asked.” 

Craig shrugged his shoulders.  “I know. But I’m not going to do it his flaky, Divination way. I’m going to do it properly.  With  Arithmancy .”

“I took  Arithmancy for my OWLs, I know how it works. You can’t fool me like you’ve fooled everyone else.” 

“It’s a bit of fun. Merlin knows you need it.” 

It was going similar to how Kenny’s conversation with him had gone, trying to convince Kyle to let him read his palm. But this wasn’t Kenny trying to read his palm, this was Craig who was going to do some fancy smart thing and spew a bunch of bullshit, because that’s what Craig did. 

“Fine. Go on then. Wow me.” 

Craig set about it his usual way. A series of questions he put into a formula that spat out a result. What wasn’t usual was the way his shoulders were hunched. The way his finger was tapping against the table  as he scribbled the answers down on Wendy’s parchment . The way he was licking his lips when he got close to the end. 

When he wasn’t immediately forthcoming, Kyle decided to prompt him. “What do you predict?” 

“I predict…”  Craig’s eyes flickered up to Kyle’s, before looking back down to the page. He sucked in a breath and faced Kyle head on without a trace of humour on his face. “I predict you’re likely to do well in our test exams, and that you’ll continue your subjects next year.” 

Kyle nodded. “Thank you.” 

“I also predict…that there’ll be joy in your future, if you chose it.” 

Well that didn’t sound very  Arithmancy . 

“ Love is on the horizon.” 

“Will they be tall, dark, and a centaur?” 

The embarrassed, toothy smile that lit up  Craig’s face had Kyle’s heart picking up the pace. The  Slytherin’s  head ducked down to look at the  book  in front of him.  “Maybe. Sometimes.”

Kyle shifted his weight on the chair  as he leant forward , swallowing a lump in his throat before he spoke. “I-!” 

“Tucker, are you doodling in my  notes ?!” 

Craig was up and out the seat in a second, an uncharacteristic wide eyed look on his face. “Aw, shit-!” 

Wendy came storming in with all the anger of a gale.  “How many times have I told you not to vandalise other people’s property?!”

“I didn’t realise it was yours.” 

“It doesn’t matter  who’s  it is!” 

He scoffed. “It does. If it was  Malkinson’s , he wouldn’t shout at me for it.” 

She glared up at him with her arms crossed.  “Thin ice, Tucker.”

“Alright then, Head Girl.”

He spun round on his heel and practically ran from the scene. It wasn’t the first time Kyle found himself cursing Wendy and her need to uphold the rules of justice.  Craig deposited the pen he’d accidentally took with him on a random table as he approached the exit and Kyle met his eyes as the  dark haired  man glanced over his shoulder at them. 

Once she was settled back in her seat and had calmed down long enough to read the scribbles he’d left, she fell silent. Kyle watched as her expression turned to him, a hand covering her mouth and horror on her face. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t even – I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” 

“What do you mean?” Kyle glanced over to try  get  a better look at the scribbles. “What’s he written?” 

She spun the  page  around turned it to face him, showing various diagrams and answers to his questions that hid the answer that caused his brain to stop functioning for the rest of the day. 

_ Ask him to  _ _ Hogsmead _ _!!!  _

\--

Craig didn’t ask him anything. They barely spoke again before the weekend, and when Kyle caught his eyes across the hall, Craig always looked away. Kenny had dropped a couple of hints that Craig had been pretty bummed out, or that maybe he needed someone to go help him with his homework, and Kyle always replied with something noncommittal. 

He wavered on the edge of doubt. Maybe it was in his head. Maybe that wasn’t what Craig had meant, even if it looked like it.  Surely if he was that determined he would be nearly avoiding the redhead, right? Or maybe he’d taken Kyle’s lack of response as something it wasn’t. 

He put on his red and golds and steeled himself something fierce.  Bravery was what he was meant to have, wasn’t it? 

He had a couple of invites to people at the weekend, but he declined them all and explained he was already busy. He was going with someone already. He kept himself free.  He was pretty sure he wasn’t fooling anyone, especially not when Wendy could answer who the mystery person was. 

Standing at the doors waiting  as the other students made their way to Hogsmead , he hoped he wouldn’t look too foolish at least. 

The remaining  Slytherin  Crew  from their year came out together, as they always did. Kenny was there, laughing at something that  Red had said with a roll of her eyes and a flick of her wrist.  Craig was between them with a smirk on his face as they interacted.  Cartman  had once been in their group before he had dropped the idea of doing N.E.W.T’s and gone straight to work, too driven and ambitious to ‘waste anymore time in this prison’. 

Craig saw him first.  Kyle  raised a hand, giving a small wave, waiting at the side for them to approach. The other two noticed after. 

Kenny grabbed Red’s arm, saying something to Craig as he pulled her  to a stop . Craig spun round to look at his friends, hands gesturing as he responded to Kenny. Whatever he’d said just made t he pair laugh at him. Red was the one who reached forward and began to kick at his shins to get him to move. He was quick to comply. 

He arrived at Kyle’s side with a flush to his cheeks and his hands in his pockets. “Hey.” 

“Hi,” Kyle cleared his throat and summoned all the courage he had. “So, thing is, I’m looking for someone. I was promised joy in my future.  If I took it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.  I don’t know if you know of anyone who’s tall, dark, and sometimes a centaur.” 

Craig’s shoulders dropped some of their tension, a smile pulling at his lips.  “Sometimes, yeah.”

“I think it might be the same wizard who saved me from a grave fall, once. It was…somewhat romantic.” 

“Just somewhat?”

Kyle narrowed his eyes. “Don’t push your luck.” 

Craig glanced away, down to the road that would lead them to  Hogsmead . “I think I know someone like that.” 

“I think they were trying to ask me out, but never did. I thought I’d do it instead.” 

Grey eyes settled on his, brows raised as his throat bobbed.  “Yeah?”

“ Fancy coming to  Hogsmead  with me? On a date?”

“I would. I’d like that .”

Kyle felt a grin pulling at his lips. “Great. We should-?” 

“ W e should.” 

They set off  without looking back to see what Kenny and Red were doing,  with their hands stuffed into their pockets, but stood close enough that their arms bumped together. He found himself babbling on, talking pretty much nonstop as they headed into  Hogsmead . It set the tone for the whole date. 

He caught sight of Wendy and Kenny gossiping between  themselves , eyes darting over to where Craig and  Kyle were in the Three Broomsticks. Once Red joined them with drinks it made it seem less suspicious, but he’ d seen them first. He just knew they were having a little victory ‘we knew it’ moment. That was so like them. 

It didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would as he returned to listening to Craig prattle on about Clyde and  Tweek’s  progress with their bakery in  Diagon  Alley.  He tried not to be too enthusiastic when he suggested that Craig should take him over the holidays so he could experience it  first hand . It was a lot less embarrassing when Craig responded with equal amounts of enthusiasm. 

By the time they were heading back  t he  sky hand gone overcast and they’d spent far too long wandering about the streets and not doing anything in particular. There was something refreshing about doing it with Craig instead of his usual crew at least.

“I guess Wendy showed you my notes then?” Craig asked as they approached the castle, other students bustling around them as people tried to get back in time for dinner. 

“Yeah, she did. For someone who’s so direct, you really go round in circles to ask someone out.” 

Craig shrugged it off. “I wanted it to be, like, meaningful, or whatever.” 

“It was. I guess those few Divination classes weren’t totally for nothing.” 

“At least one of us got our predictions correct.” 

Kyle gave him a shove, but Craig was quick to grab his wrist before he was knocked to the side. He didn’t let go. Kyle allowed the  grip to slip down to his hand, curling his fingers round Craig’s. 

The rest of their year went as well as he could’ve hoped. It was still hell, and he still stressed out about the practice N.E. W.T’s . He and Wendy aced them. Most of them. Craig rolled his eyes when he was told and scoffed, like it was any big surprise.  He made sure to rub it in Kyle’s face that he’d given wholly accurate fortunes every time. Kyle pretended to be annoyed by the gloating. He wasn’t really. 

It was easier, having someone by his side to keep him calm and rational. Craig suited him like that. 

There was a promise to meet up during the summer, now seventeen and free of their parent’s immediate influence (for Craig more than himself).  Craig reminded him he’d asked to go to the bakery their friends had set up. 

They did. With the way Kyle’s summer went, it promised for a good final school year. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! I had these two extra chapters nearly done for ages, but all my creativity has been sucked into cosplay making for con season. I've got them finished now though!! I hope you like them!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually eventually gonna add to this (I'm half way through a scene of them in fifth year with fortune cookies), but for now I'll get through the week first.


End file.
